Hi guys,This week I have taken delivery of my new Probotix Asteroid CNC machine, and at this stage I havent any software.My dilemma is wether to buy Cut2d and start there to get to know how to use it , or just get Aspire and start with the best one and be done with it.My intension with my CNC experience was always to include 3D carving and also I have the 4th Axis rotary on my machine .The cost of the software scares me a little but paying once makes sense rather than updating 3 times over years.Love to hear some views......

When I purchased my CNC I got V-Carve Pro and Cut3D software with it. It didn't take very long that I upgraded to Aspire. If you're going to make your own 3d projects Aspire is the way to go. I did get credit for V-Carve Pro toward the purchase of Aspire. I also feel getting the 2d, clipart and 3d models offset a lot of the pocket book emptiness. I'll be upgrading to Version 9 shortly - it'll represent my birthday and Christmas packages. Ha. Good luck on your decision.

I think you might want to compare to V-Carve Desktop or Pro rather than to Aspire in your comparison with Cut2D

First - is your machine larger than 24 x 24? If it is not - then the desktop version may be a good choice.

One difference that may be of consideration is V-carving text. To me, that is important.

The big thing in Aspire is the ability to create and edit models. Only Aspire has that and that is the biggest reason to go Aspire. V-Carve desktop as well as pro CAN cut 3D models, but you cannot create or edit the 3D models.

I started out with V Carve pro and after a year up graded to Aspire no regrets. That let me learn the 2d side of the software then go on to 3d. Vectric gives you a good deal on up grading from The lower to the next level. Start where you are happy with how much you want to spend now then go on up.Glenn

My intension with my CNC experience was always to include 3D carving and also I have the 4th Axis rotary on my machine .

In my opinion, if this is your first CNC machine, unless you are doing this 8 hours a day full-time, you should expect to take 12-18 months to get a solid understanding of how to do 2D work first. You will need to learn about holding the material, feeds and speeds, router bits, collets, the capabilities of your particular machine, how different materials cut, what affects edge quality, and so on. These basic skills are a foundation that you need in order to do well with rotary and 3D work.

I have the 4th Axis rotary on my machine

The desktop editions don't support gadgets, and gadgets make it much easier to do rotary work. The desktop editions also limit you to a 24” x 24” (600mm x 600mm) work area.

If you are going to do a lot of rotary work then Aspire will give you more realistic previews. In Vcarve you would see

In Aspire you would see:

- Randall Newcomb10 fingers in, 10 fingers out - another good day in the shop

Thank you guys for the feedback, very much appreciated.I know I am a novice and have a lot to learn , my thought about getting Aspire straight up was that I could just learn as I go along without having to work out if I need to upgrade or not to get another feature to become familiar with.....My work has made me very familiar with cad programs so the whole CNC thing dosent frighten me , quite the opposite , I love setting myself a challenge , this one just happens to be expensive........

Several of us in here do this stuff professionally. Personally, I work as an engineer in manufacturing and use and oversee many CAD and CAM and machining operations as well as use it at home.

It's not a matter of intimidation but rather a bank for the buck. As Randal pointed out Aspire gives a few features that the other versions don't. If you are looking for a challenge - V-Carve Pro WILL offer up a serious challenge as will just learning how to actually do the CNC work - and add to that the rotary axis.

Consider the price difference, then consider what you get for that difference. The BIGGIE on Aspire is model creation and editing. The one thing alone is a major challenge in itself, and that comes from ax Ex Unigraphics user and current Solidworks user.

Taking it on all at once is not just a challenge, it's errrr........................... I have not seen anyone start by creating a model then machining it.

Once you get used to V-Carve Pro - upgrading to Aspire, is just the difference in price.

For me it was always about what I wanted to do with the machine, not having a large bank account meant that I had to look at what I really needed for the work I wanted to do rather than buy a program that would be nice to have but would never get used to it's full potential

There were a few reasons why I settled on Vectric software rather than something else one of which was the upgrade path. When you upgrade you only pay the difference in price between the different programs so upgrading a few times over the years doesn't cost any more than buying the top package straight away.

I was working as a signmaker producing cut vinyl & digital prints, I bought an old broken CNC machine knowing I could fix it & had a pretty good idea what that would cost me. My intention was not to get into dimensional signage as that is a difficult market to crack in the UK & not only was I not a big enough company I simply didn't (& still don't) have the skills to be able to do it to a high enough standard especially when it comes to finishing I intended to use it simply to produce flat cut letters, fret cut trays & other very simple sign related items for myself & perhaps supply a few local signmakers as a trade service.

Having expensive signmaking software that I was very familiar with that would do all the vector based graphics I needed I was really just looking for a cam program to toolpath what I had drawn, Cut2D seemed to fit the bill so that is what I originally purchased. That was all I thought I would need until I started to use the machine, joined the forum & discovered all the other really great stuff you can do with a CNC machine. It became apparent very quickly that Cut2D wasn't going to be enough if I wanted to be able to do some of this other great stuff so within a couple of months of purchasing Cut2D I upgraded to Vcarve Pro, the price I paid was the difference between the 2 programs so from a financial point of view it was just as if I had purchased Vcarve from the beginning.

From a purely business point of view I could probably still be using Cut2D as pretty much all of the other things I have been doing with the CNC are for me personally, yes I have sold a few bits I have made from wood & other materials on the CNC but probably not enough to make it a sound business decision but that is down to me being a very bad business person rather than the actual software From a personal point of view it was one of the best things I have ever done , I have had so much fun over the last couple of years & made a lot of birthday & Christmas gifts for friends & family. It has also reawakened my interest in woodworking in general which has also been a great experience

OK here's my 2 cents worth. If you are hobbiest then any of the Vectric software is cool and well written (less bug issues). If you are a high end hobbiest or a business using CNC as one of your tools then Aspire is the way to go. Whatever level of Vectric you choose USE the tutorials, they are the best! My CNC machine came with Vectric software but I also ordered Aspire. I only use about 20% or less of its features but those that I use daily are so robust that I can't imagine running my machine without it. Going on year 9 as a Vectric fan and loving it. Russ

Just want to thank you all for the advice which I have digested and put into place. I downloaded the Cut2D Desktop , found it very straight forward , as I have looked at so many tutorials, and have made a couple of signs which I am impressed with, made a couple of mistakes but put that down to experience.Need help on something else, the information that you need to enter when adding a new tool , such as RPM , does this just come from experience or is there data to help one come up with some of this info.Many thanks for your helpTerry

Depending on the tool supplier, most of the better ones have lots of data to go along with their tools. If you ask when you place your order is usually all I have had to do. The 'bulk' suppliers just ship stuff.

Just as a sidebar to your question I have learned that the machine really wants to tell you what it wants. Also the chips should also tell you if you are close. You want warm chips and not sawdust. The bit should remain relatively cool (check it when its off!). If the bit is screaming it needs attention.

Enjoy your machine and software. It is amazing what you can make with a CNC machine. Russ